Government answers GM Leaders call for homelessness support

Today the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) announced that Greater Manchester would be awarded a Social Impact Bond (SIB). This bond will allow GM to provide longer-term support and accommodation for specific entrenched rough sleepers to allow them to move off the streets.

Greater Manchester Mayor, Tony Lloyd said; ““I welcome today’s announcement from Government that they will work with us to support entrenched rough sleepers off the streets in Greater Manchester. Government has recognised that we’ve got a proven record of delivering on our promises and can make a real difference here in Greater Manchester.

“I hope that further discussions with Government around how we work together to support those who have recently started rough sleeping are successfully concluded as soon as possible.

“The levels of homelessness in our city-region are disgraceful. Homelessness is ruining the lives of far too many people in Greater Manchester; we can now do more to help those who are living on our streets.”

The GMCA is continuing discussions with Government around funding to support those who have recently started rough sleeping. The aim is to develop emergency hubs with accommodation to support those who have recently started rough sleeping. These will be short-term hubs providing practical advice and support to support individuals back into settled housing.

Greater Manchester has previously been successful in its bid to become a Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) trailblazer area for homelessness prevention. The Homelessness Prevention trailblazer programme gives Greater Manchester the chance to develop a thorough and consistent approach to preventing homelessness in the city-region. However, leaders will now be able to go further and bring together the passion and commitment of all partners to prevent homelessness and support people off the streets.

The GMCA ultimately aims to combine the Social Impact Bond and the proposed funding to support recent rough sleepers with trailblazer programme funding and create an integrated approach to tackle homelessness. The final shape of the programmes will depend on the funding made available.

Greater Manchester’s plans to tackle homelessness have been developed with the support of the NHS, Greater Manchester Police, third sector organisations, as well as all ten Greater Manchester local authorities. The Manchester Homeless Charter Group were involved in the bid preparation and the charity Shelter were also consulted.